I JUST PUT THE picture of Edward Snowden (below) on Facebook and it’s getting lots of shares, likes and comments. It’s curious how many people don’t realize that it is meant to be ironic. They really think that I think that the places listed are free countries. Despite the images. People are strange.

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ON AN UNRELATED topic, reader Judi K, based in Shanghai and Zimbabwe, sent me some anecdotes from those two places:

“Dear Nury, We met at the Shanghai Literary Festival. Thanks for the book, which I started on the plane to Zimbabwe, another repressive regime where comedy is kicking off, and finished it back in Shanghai.”

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A story from Harare:

Two children are walking on the street. One child is telling the story of how he mistakenly ate washing powder thinking it was milk powder. The other child asks: “Did you die?”

Four tales from schoolrooms in China:

1. Teacher: It's the end of the world and a flood destroys everything on earth.

Student: What about the fish?

2. Teacher: Pigs are useful for their meat, skin and what other uses?

Student: For use as an insult, to say, “You pig.”

3. Teacher: Imagine a dinosaur is about to trample on you and hurt you horribly, what would you do?

Student: Stop imagining.

4. Teacher: What were the famous last words of [famous historical healer] Li Shizhen?

Student: @#$%, this grass is poisonous.

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BEEN HANGING OUT with Grandpa’s lovely daughter Keshia, and also Chris, one of the other commentators on this site. Here we are at various gatherings.

Grandpa, she slaughtered us at Monopoly the other night. I think you should train her to go into property investment and you can retire a rich man.

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I’m busy working on book deadlines today. Glad to be indoors – sweltering in Hong Kong just now. Have a great day, speak soon.